Summary

First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War. Erected in 1923. Architect unknown.

Description

First World War memorial, with later additions for the Second World War. Erected in 1923. Architect unknown.

MATERIALS: Carved from grey granite.

DESCRIPTION: Nordelph War Memorial is located in front of Nordelph Village Hall, Birchfield Road, Nordelph, Norfolk. It is prominently situated, inside an enclosure, standing before the village hall, which is set back slightly from the road. It comprises a circa 1.5m high rough-hewn Celtic cross, with carved sword of sacrifice to the face, on a plinth with single-stepped base. The lower part of the shaft, and the plinth, bear the inscriptions in leaded lettering. The whole is within a kerbed enclosure bounded by seven posts connected by chains.

The inscription is in leaded and blacked lettering and reads (plinth) THEY DIED THAT / WE MIGHT LIVE / 1914 – 1918 / (NAMES) // (shaft) 1939 – 1945 / (NAME).
This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 5 June 2017.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Nordelph as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War. Funded by public subscription, it was situated on land gifted by A H Worth. It was unveiled, and dedicated by the Reverend Dr E E Bradford DD, in 1923.

The war memorial was restored in 2016, funded by the War Memorials Trust.

Reasons for Listing

Nordelph War Memorial, which stands in front of Nordelph Village Hall, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: a rough-hewn Celtic Cross, with carved sword of sacrifice, loosely derived from the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield’s Cross of Sacrifice for the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q66478658

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  For the Record